Turkey's Armenian community has criticized Ankara's indifference towards Armenians from Syria's Kessab region fleeing from the war-torn country and seeking shelter in Turkey, also bringing attention to the inadequacy of Turkish-Armenian associations, including the Armenian Patriarchate, in helping Kessab Armenians settle in Turkey, Today’s Zaman said.
The Turkish-Armenian community came together on Saturday, June 7 in a conference to discuss the problems of Kessab Armenians, whose predicament appeared in the Turkish media earlier in April when two Armenian sisters from Kessab, Satenik (82) and Surpuhi (80) Titizyan, arrived in Yayladağı after being escorted by Syrian rebels to the Turkish-Syrian border. They were offered refuge in Vakıflı village, the only Armenian village in Turkey.
“The Titizyan sisters were not brought to Turkey, they were kidnapped and taken to Turkey," said Aris Nalcı, a Turkish-Armenian journalist from IMC TV during an event held about the life of Kessab Armenians in Vakıflı village on Saturday.
Before the Titizyan sisters came to Turkey, there were reportedly 30 people living in Kessab. On May 5, 19 more ethnic Armenians from Syria, most of them elderly and on wheelchairs, joined the Titizyan sisters in Vakıflı. After most moved on to Lebanon, there are now only six Kessab Armenians left in Vakıflı. An old man who was also planning to leave for Lebanon died of a heart attack in Vakıflı and was buried there.
“The tragedy of Kessab Armenians was covered in the Turkish media with the headline that Turkey was embracing Armenians, although this is not true,” said Nalcı, adding that Armenia was also unable to assist Kessab Armenians.
“Why was Kessab emptied? Why couldn't Turkey protect and preserve Kessab?” were the main questions given in response to a question by Today's Zaman asking what the main expectations of Turkish-Armenians were during the attack of Kessab.
Echoing Nalci's comment, Harut Özer, a representative from the Platform for Thought, said in his comment however that it was not only Ankara but also the heads of the Armenian community who are also responsible for the problems experienced by ethnic Armenians, including those from Kessab, in Turkey.
“Why are we blaming the Turkish government when Turkish-Armenians did not do much to provide help? What solutions are we producing among ourselves that we are instead extending our demands to the state? What did our hospitals and foundations do?” Özer asked, adding that Turkish-Armenians needed to demonstrate real unity and community spirit to embrace those Armenians from Syria “instead of turning to the Armenian Patriarchate for every little piece of help.”
Özer claimed the Armenian Patriarchate in Turkey follows the line of the Turkish state instead of supporting its community. “We need to justify our existence and stop the decline of our population. In order to do so, the Turkish-Armenian authorities should change their mindset.”
